James Potter and the Hall of Elders' Crossing
James Potter and the Hall of Elders' Crossing is the first book in the ''James Potter'' series by G. Norman Lippert, an unofficial follow-up to Harry Potter. The story follows James Sirius Potter (son of Harry Potter) in his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. During which, he attempts to stop the "Merlin Conspiracy" that promises to unleash a war between the wizarding and Muggle worlds. The book was published online in November 2007, and received widespread critical and media attention upon release. It has currently been translated into more than nine languages, and has been made into an independent short-film by filmmaker, Kellen Gibbs. The book and its successors are available for free digital download on the series website in PDF, EPUB, and MOBI formats. An audiobook version narrated by Jus Sargeant is available from Living Audio, UK and on "The James Potter Series Podcast" on many common podcast apps. Book Description What's it like to be the son of the most famous wizard of all time? James Potter thinks he knows, but as he begins his own adventures at Hogwarts, he discovers just how much of a challenge it really is to live up to the legend of the great Harry Potter. As if it wasn't enough dealing with the delegates from the American wizarding school and figuring out the mysteriously polite Slytherins, James and his new friends, Ralph and Zane, begin to uncover a secret plot that could pit the Muggle and Magical worlds against each other in an all-out war. Now, with the help of Ted Lupin and his band of merry mischief makers (The Gremlins), James unravels the terrible aims of the "Merlin Conspiracy," racing against time to stop a war that would change the world forever. But how can he know if his efforts are only helping the cause or working right into the plans of his enemies? Before James can know for sure, he has to learn the difference between being a hero and being the son of a hero. Chapters *Prologue *Chapter 1: Shadow of Legends *Chapter 2: Arrival of the Alma Alerons *Chapter 3: The Ghost and the Intruder *Chapter 4: The Progressive Element *Chapter 5: The Book of Austramaddux *Chapter 6: Harry’s Midnight Meeting *Chapter 7: Broken Loyalty *Chapter 8: The Grotto Keep *Chapter 9: The Debate Betrayal *Chapter 10: Holiday At Grimmauld Place *Chapter 11: The Three Relics *Chapter 12: Visum-Ineptio *Chapter 13: Revelation of the Robe *Chapter 14: The Hall of Elders’ Crossing *Chapter 15: The Muggle Spy *Chapter 16: Disaster of the Merlin Staff *Chapter 17: Night of the Returning *Chapter 18: The Tower Assembly *Chapter 19: Secrets Unveiled *Chapter 20: Tale of the Traitor *Chapter 21: The Gift of the Green Box Cover Artwork James Potter and the Hall of Elders' Crossing.jpg | Original Release James Potter -1 (Johnny Atomic Cover).jpg | Johnny Atomic Cover James Potter and the Hall of Elders' Crossing (Second Edition Cover).jpg | Johnny Atomic Cover (Alternate) JPHEC.jpg | New Version Press Response After the novel first appeared on a website created by Lippert in early November 2007, some Harry Potter fans on the Internet initially speculated that the site was part of an elaborate 'viral marketing campaign' for an official continuation or spinoff of Harry Potter, one either written or at least approved by Rowling herself. On November 9, 2007, Rowling's agent Neil Blair denied that Rowling was in any way involved with the purported project, and Warner Bros., the studio which owns the rights to the Harry Potter film series, denied that the novel was in any way connected to the official Harry Potter franchise. Later that same month, reports had claimed that Rowling had supposedly threatened legal action against Lippert for allegedly violating her intellectual property rights by producing and publishing the novel. A specialist in intellectual property law at Strathclyde University commented that, "If an insubstantial character from a novel is taken and built up by another author in a new story, that can be a defence against copyright infringements." In response, Lippert then contacted Rowling's agency, who were glad to hear from him, and agreed to receive an advance copy of the story. For legal reasons, Rowling herself did not read it, but announced that she was happy to allow the free release of such stories, and supported the novel and any others like it. So long as they were appropriate for children. Lippert admitted that he was relieved. "I’d have taken down the site if she’d asked me to. It’s her world and I respect her desire to control it,” he said. Afterward, he subsequently produced a sequel to the first, James Potter and the Curse of the Gatekeeper. Reception Overall, the book has accumulated mostly positive reviews, averaging four out of five stars on Goodreads.com. One reviewer stated how "G. Norman Lippert has outdone himself, taking a concept that many would churn out as trite 'fan-fiction', and instead creating a literary piece that stands out as a spiritual successor novel to J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series." '' Initial reactions to the book, however, were more mixed at the time of release when reports of legal disputes were still going on. Many readers expressed negative feedback to the story, even going as far as to say that he had "ruined Harry Potter." But over time, Lippert himself stated that "the hateful notes were increasingly outnumbered by notes of thanks and praise. 'You're no J. K. Rowling,' most of the notes seemed to say, 'But I enjoyed the story. Thanks. And write more'" (July 25, 2009). Since then, Lippert has earned a wide following around the world for his story. The series is currently one of the most popular and widely-recognized Harry Potter fan-fictions to date, and one of the most popular fan-fictions in general. On the Goodreads website, the series has more than 40,000 reviews, the most for any fan-fiction on the site. Legacy Sequels and Spin-offs Less than a year after the first book was released, the second book, was published online in 2008, establishing the story as a series of books. It was followed by a spin-off titled, ''The Girl on the Dock ''that same year, and a digital collection of short-stories taking place in the world of Harry and James Potter. In 2010, was released on a new website for the series as a whole, followed by another spin-off, ''Ruins of Camelot in 2011, loosely tied in to the main story. Lippert released the fourth entry in the main series, in 2013, the longest in the series at 740 pages in its print version. After a brief hiatus, the fifth and final book, was released in early 2017. Film adaptation In 2009, filmmaker Kellen Gibbs adapted the book into a live-action (non-profit) short film, being one of the first films he ever released. It featured an original score by young composer, Isaias Garcia. The Grotto Keep Forum Due to the widespread popularity of the story online, a forum website titled, The Grotto Keep Forum, was created for fans to discuss the story, have conversations, and share their thoughts, opinions and ideas. It featured conversation threads for people to discuss different topics, adding new threads for the other books in the series as each one was released. The website was something Lippert himself even got involved with, using it to talk directly to fans of his story. The website was eventually shut down in late 2018, due to a security threat from a hacker, and lack of usage over time. Supplementary Works In addition to the novel, the author also wrote a short companion book titled, Technomancy, History & Magical Practices, which briefly gives background on some of the content in the book, particularly certain concepts of the rules of Technomancy. Lippert has stated that he may eventually expand this under the title, "Technomancy 101." There is a also a fan-made companion book, the James Potter Compendium, ''which acts as an encyclopedia for all the characters, places, spells, and other things identified within the book, along with extra fan content. Both of these are available for free online at the [http://www.jamespotterseries.com/UNIVERSE_info.html official ''James Potter website]. References # (http://www.jamespotterseries.com/STORY_info.html) James Potter website. Copyright, 2009 by George Norman Lippert. # (https://www.facebook.com/jamespotterseries) James Potter on Facebook. Updated: 2019 # (https://www.goodreads.com/series/45293-james-potter) James Potter Series at goodreads.com. Updated: 2017 # https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_disputes_over_the_Harry_Potter_series # http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/07/prweb1080574.htm See also * Hall of Elders' Crossing'' ''official website * Hall of Elders' Crossing audiobook * James Potter series website * James Potter Series Facebook * Hogwarts Next Generation Twitter * James Potter on Goodreads Category:James Potter Series Category:Books (real-world)